Snow chain recommendations

18" rims 265 x 35 rears Heading to west japan this Xmas and looking for options/recommendations for chains or otherwise. Good chance of snow, beaten down by some traffic but uncertain as it changes every year. First time to drive back to wife's home town and don't want to get stuck. Cheers

I like the look of the Thule K-Summit Tire Chains. Seems reasonable but they maybe rubbish also. I just don't know.

Are chains necessary or would a dedicated snow tire work for you?

Snow chains are really designed for short-term, short-distance use in emergency situations. You can't really drive with them on dry pavement (damages the road, damages the chains, and can result in reduced traction), so you need to use them on packed snow. Additionally, you need to plan for the installation. In other words, you want to put the chains on the car on a flat surface in a well lit area. You don't want to try to install snow tires once you're stuck in deep snow or in the dark. Finally, snow chains only provide some traction to the drive wheels. Once you're moving, they don't increase stopping or turning performance. Personally, I wouldn't drive a 996 in snow without proper winter tires. The thought of driving a 996 in snow with summer tires and chains is quite scary.

I was also thinking winter (studless?) tires. Coming from Australia I have no clue what I need. Would I get winter tires all round? Or just rear? I have zero clue.

Get winter tires on all four corners. Difference in starting, braking, and turning is extreme between winter tires and dedicated summer tires. I drove circles around 4x4s and 2wd chained people last winter in Norther Arizona in a FWD car with full set of Blizzaks. Roads had 4x4 or Chains restrictions, didn't bother me one bit. Car grips, stops, and turns on the snow as if snow is not there with Blizzaks on. Set of Bridgestone Blizzaks will be sufficient for any winter weather. 996 is a buggy in the snow, physics are on your side. Engine resting on the drive wheels, weight of the vehicle shifting towards the rear when car moves forward; all of this contributes to amazing traction in the wet and snow.

There are probably folks in Japan who supply snow tires. The Tire Rack web site is a great resource for researching options. http://www.tirerack.com/

I think you need 17" wheels to fit chains without interference, according to the P manual.

I have to echo the snow tire fans here. Chains are really for short distances in heavy packed snow. It will give you LESS traction in certain conditions - like paved roads. You should be fine with 4 dedicated snow tires - really doesn't matter too much what brand you get - as long as you get the right size. The only thing you have to watch out for is high centering the vehicle - car is low, if the roads are not plowed at all you will high center the car in deep snow - and no amount of chains or snow tires will help you.

Thanks everyone. Looks like a set of winter tires are in the list. Cheers.

I have winter tires on mine. It's worth noting that they also perform better on dry (snow and ice-free) pavement when the weather gets below +5 Celsius than all-season or dedicated summer tires.

Being hunting around. Looks like I will go for Michelin Alpin tires.

^ They are great winter tires, I have Alpin PA2 on my DD for winter and they are amazingly good even when roads are dry.

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What size do you have? I have 18" rims and wanted to get reasonably fat tires so it still looks nice.

I don't, my 996 is parked for the winter. Look around in the Classified section for some ideas, but you don't want to go wide for winter tires as it negates the benefit of winter tires, you would be looking at 225 front and 265 rear.

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ANY snow tire of the right size will do. I went with Vredestein Wintertrac Xtreme for my dedicated winter setup with 18" wheels. It takes me 30 mins to do a switch over in my driveway. ANY WINTER TIRE that's the correct size and load rating will work - You're really splitting hairs in terms of performance between different tires. For 996 Mk1 and Mk2 with 18" wheels: 18" Recommended Front:225/40-18 18" Recommended Rear:265/35-18 Any wider and your car will be skating on snow/ice, not biting into it. Remember, coefficient of friction...

I'm probably replying way too late here, but this information could still be useful for someone. 1. Snow chains are not meant to be used for a very long journey and for dry paths. You'll end up damaging the road, and the chains as well. When abused, snow chains damage mechanic components and scratch up the tire rims. Use them only in heavy snow and icy regions. 2. Don't compromise in quality when it comes to something as important as traction devices. Invest in a good quality pair. Thule, SCC, Peerless are some of the most reliable brands. I've been using cb-12 by thule on my ex-l 2wd honda crv for the last 12 months, and the performance has been remarkable. They have some sort of self-tensioning mechanism which adds up to the overall grip and provide excellent traction even in heavy snow, and muddy and icy areas as well. 3. Prefer chain over cables, as they long last, and are much sturdy.

From some reading, the other good reason for getting dedicated snow tires is the sidewall and tread are made of different compounds made especially for cold climates. Much different composition than all-weather and summer tires.

Yes, studded snow tires work really well for long journeys

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This. The glass transition temperature of summer tires is around +7 Celsius. The rubber gets quite hard at that point. I have heard that the hot/cold cycling of UHP summer tires also contributes to pre-mature wear. Also: if you drive UHP summer tires in the snow, there will be **** leakage every time you try to stop or corner.